- Messages
- 17,190
- Location
- New York City
2002's "The Emperor's Club"
- Nice to see one of these elitist old-boy-school movies not pivot on a racist / sexists / religious prejudice plot line as so many (rightfully, but predictably) do
- Instead, the conflict is the morality of cheating and, a bit more broadly, the value of a traditional Western Civilization eduction with its emphasis on learning The Classics as a way to an enlightened and ethical life
- The drama plays out between a devoted teacher (Kevin Kline doing some of the best acting of his career) and rebellious and, even more so, morally unprincipled student who is the son of a US Senator (a subtle echo to the Roman Senate and its ideals versus the slippery US Senator seen here)
- Effectively, is a life of morality, integrity, honesty, fair play an end unto itself, or is winning at any almost any cost, playing at the margins, manipulating the system the way to win in a world in which many of the "winners" do?
- I'll avoid any spoilers as I would heartily encourage anyone who hasn't to see the movie, but in the current age - where it is vogue in some circles to dismiss a Western Civ education as antiquated or, worse, reflecting a morally corrupt system of privilege - it is emboldening to see an argument for Western Civ's timeless values and respect for its place as the foundation of our Republic
- From a time-travel / Fedora-Lounge eye candy perspective, the story takes place in 1976, so it's well past our sweet spot, but the school itself is a feast of iconic prep school classical architecture inside and out
- While there's some forced dialogue, undeveloped early plot lines and a contrived ending, the movie is still a nice, older-style, story driven movie that keeps you engaged throughout and rooting for the good guys to win
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